


Always Been You

by yours_kay



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Best Friends, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24638854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yours_kay/pseuds/yours_kay
Summary: Betty Cooper and Jughead have always been best friends. Ever since the second grade, they've been attached at the hip. But now, both 17 and closer than ever, they navigate their way through teen drama and deadly gangs, fighting growing feelings that are getting harder and harder to ignore.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge/Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Cheryl Blossom/Veronica Lodge, Fangs Fogarty & Sweet Pea & Toni Topaz, Veronica Lodge/Reggie Mantle
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is my new story! It's a friends to lovers sequence. I hope you like it!
> 
> I own the story, not the characters.

Prologue---

Welcome to our small town. It's simple, really, just like any other. Quaint, quiet, where everyone knows everyone. You'll see the iconic Pop's Diner, filled with happy couples, the small newspaper business, a high school, friendly neighbors. Look closer, though, and you'll notice the small things that make it so unique. A town split in half, the Northside and the Southside, a gang or two, maybe even a murder... Our town presents itself like any other at first glance, but trust us, it's not.

Betty Cooper, our perfect girl next door. The beautiful blonde with a golden soul. The friendliest person you'll meet, always smiling. But dig deeper and you'll notice the mask. Everyone wears a mask. Stuck with an overbearing mother and an ignorant father, she feels trapped, not to mention a creepy brother lingering around every corner... 

Jughead Jones, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Always in some sort of trouble, he leads a gang, the Serpents. Also, Betty's best friend since the second grade. Though his life may seem like a mess, it's pretty well put together. For Riverdale, that is. He has thick skin, feared by most of the town, but with Betty, we see the real him. The him that longs to be loved, the boy that's head over heels for the perfect girl next door. 

So, here we are. Back in the old town that's not even on most maps, stuck by time. Welcome to Riverdale, the town with pep! Or so it seems. 


	2. Jughead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title explains who's point of view it is!

I woke to the sun shining on my face, the smell of leather wafting through my nose. I groan, turning away from the light. 

"Jug, time to get up, bud." My mom approaches, setting a plate down on the coffee table next to the couch I sleep on. 

"No," I mumble, squeezing my eyes shut as she shakes my shoulder lightly. "Not yet."

"Yes, yet. Betty's coming over in half an hour and you need to eat." 

I turn over, cracking my eyes open slightly to see my mom's face. "Betty?" Betty Cooper's my best friend since we were little. Her mom doesn't like my family, though or any Southsiders for that matter. We're often considered trash, while the Cooper family is one of the most respected families from the Northside. It doesn't help that my family's been the leaders of a gang for several generations.

She chuckles, nodding. "Yeah, you know how her mom is." I nod with understanding, sitting up to eat my eggs. Betty's family has been going through a lot of ups and down lately, usually resulting in a much needed escape on her end. 

"Where's dad and Jelly?" I ask, looking for him and my sister. Jellybean is my five year old sister, who basically idolizes Betty and follows her everywhere. It gets on my nerves but Betty never seems to mind. 

"You're dad ran out to talk to Joaquin about something to do with the Ghoulies showing up again and Jelly's asleep, still." My mom informed me, taking a seat on the couch next to me. 

"The Ghoulies are back?" I asked worriedly. The Ghoulies are a rival gang to my gang, the Serpents. I'm the Serpent King, taking over for my dad as of last month, actually. The Ghoulies were run out of town a few years ago, back when Jellybean was born. 

My mom picked up her coffee, leaning back before answering. "Mm, yeah. Apparently, they lit part of the White Wyrm on fire last night," I looked at her with wide eyes, nervous that the Serpents' bar was ruined but she shook her head. "Your boys got it out quickly enough, don't worry. The worst that might've happened is a bit of scratched paint."

"That's a relief." A soft knock sounded on the door as I shoveled the last of my breakfast into my mouth. My mom hoisted herself up to grab the door while I finished chewing, following with some water. She opened the door widely so I could just barely see Betty standing there, her blonde hair pulled back into it's usual neat ponytail. 

"Betty!" My mom exclaimed, wrapping her into a hug. "How are you, Sweets?" 

"Oh, I'm fine, Mrs. Jones." Betty replied, smiling over my mother's shoulder at me. I laughed at her face, looking a bit strained at the force of my mom's grip. When she was finally released and welcomed in, she stood across from me as I stood to cleared my plate. 

"Morning, Princess." I greeted her. 

"Good morning, Juggie." She laughed, always amused at the familiar nickname. I gave her a wolfish grin before dropping my plate into the sink. 

"Uh-uh," My mom reprimanded me. "Wash it." I groaned, turning to Betty, giving her puppy-dog eyes, hoping she'd take care of it. Betty always wants to help and jumps at every opportunity to make someone's life easier. 

"I got it, Mrs. Jones." Betty said happily, bouncing over to the sink. I smiled, feeling accomplished. 

"No, Betty, that's okay, you're our guest!" My mom assured her, ushering me over to take her place. 

"Really, it's no problem," She said, already running the water. "I'm happy to help."

"See? Besides Betty's hardly a guest anymore." I reminded her. 

"I swear, Jughead. You're getting lazier everyday because you have Betty to assist you," My mom shook her head. "Betty feel free to tell Jughead to just 'shove it and do it himself' anytime." Betty laughed, assuring her that she would. She had the best laugh, always sounding so carefree like bells. 

My mom excused herself, going to go get dressed and ready. I set myself behind Betty as she placed the plate on the drying rack. She spun around, smiling up at me. 

"What happened with your mom this morning?" I questioned, not missing a beat. I didn't want to ruin the mood but my heart ached at the thought of her being upset. Her face fell for a split second, so quickly I almost thought I had imagined it. But, I knew her well enough that I knew the smile she wore now was fake.

"Oh, nothing. She was just moody, that's all." Her emerald green eyes stared into mine, as if she thought she could force me to believe her lies through the power of sheer will. 

"Please, don't give me that bullshit excuse," I rolled my eyes, resting my hands on her shoulders. "What happened?"

She sighed, her eyes leaving my face. She looked past me as she spoke. "She was upset about my dad. He doesn't want Chic to come home yet but my mom thinks he's ready. Honestly, I agree with dad, Chic shouldn't come home so soon. It's only been two months. But, anyways, my dad stormed out this morning, pulling me with him but my mom didn't want me to leave so she made me stay."

"So, why is she mad at you, then?" 

"Because I told her dad was probably right. She said 'anyone who doesn't approve of Chic's return should just get the fuck out'. So, I did." 

"Betts..." I started, not sure what to say. 

"It's okay, Juggie. I don't want to talk about it now." Betty brushed it off, dropping the subject. I knew she was upset but I didn't want to push too hard. I smiled and nodded, kissing her wrist, relieved when a genuine smile crossed her face. 

"I'm gonna go get dressed, be right back." I said, releasing her hand and hopping off into my room. I changed into my usual 'S' t-shirt and jeans, throwing on my Serpent jacket. All I needed was my signature beanie and I was all dressed. But, I couldn't find it, even as I tore through my small space. I stomped out of the room which we all rotated through, determined to throw a fit if I couldn't find it. 

Betty was sitting at the table with Jellybean, who had just woken up to eat. She looked up. "Looking for your hat?" She asked, slyly. 

"Yeah, I can't find it anywhere!" I huffed, throwing my hands in the air. Betty, giggled, showing me my gray beanie folded loosely in her grasp. 

I gasped. "Thief!" Betty laughed, jumping out of the chair, I lunged at her as she danced over to me, picking her up by the waist and spinning her around. 

"Jug!" She shrieked as the air left her lungs with the sudden movement. I laughed throwing her over my shoulder, skipping into the living room as she giggled, yelling at me to put her down. I tossed her onto the sofa as she shrieked, hearing Jellybean's laughter fill the small trailer as she watched from the kitchen. As Betty landed, she grabbed my jacket, pulling me down with her. I landed on top of her, stopping my weight from crushing her by holding my arms out, making it so I hovered over her. 

"Give.. me.. my... hat!" I said in between deep breaths. I tickled her sides, as she squirmed, laughing against my chest as my hands moved against her small waist. 

"Okay... okay! You win!" She gasped through fits of giggles, throwing my hat at my face. I smirked down at her. 

"Why, thank you, princess." I kissed her forehead before pulling her up with me as I stood. She snatched the hat from me, pulling it over my dark curls, brushing her hands through my hair. She nudged my arm with hers when she was done, telling me without words that she wanted to be tucked under. I lifted my arm, pulling her close against my side as my mom walked into the room.

"Momma!" Jellybean called for her attention as soon as she entered.

"What, baby?" My mom asked, kissing her daughter's head. 

"Juggie made a mess!" She called out. 

"What?" I asked, skeptically, with faux concern. My baby sister always blamed me for her messes, though thankfully my parents knew when it was the truth. Most of the time it was fairly obvious. "Where did I make a mess, Jelly, huh?" 

The little girl pointed to the Cheerios thrown around the table, clearly the work of a five year old. Betty laughed gently beside me as I scoffed. 

"Yeah, right. Nice try, Jell." I laughed, too. My mom scooped the extra Cheerios off the table, helping Jellybean wash her hands at the sink. I looked at Betty who was looking at her phone, sending a text to Veronica. As soon as it sent, I snatched it from her. 

"Hey!" She gasped, laughing when she couldn't reach it. I wrapped my hands around her waist, falling back onto the couch. 

"Fine, we can stay like this." She gave in, leaning against my chest. "Oh, like you don't want to stay!" I teased, a grin breaking out across my face as she stuck out her tongue. 

"I'll admit, I'm comfortable." I laughed as she gave in, playing with one of my hands.

"Okay, kiddies, I'm running out for a few things." My mom said, capturing our attention. Betty looked forward, nodded to my mom in acknowledgement while I ran circles on her arm. Her breath caught as it tickled lightly. 

"Jug?" My mom broke my concentration. 

My head shot up, pausing the circular motion. "Huh?"

"Listen," she articulated, irritated by my lack of focus. It was too hard to focus with Betty in the room, though. She captured everyone's attention."I'll be back in a few hours. Jellybean is coming with me, I'm dropping her off at Sophia's. Betty, you're welcome to stay for a while but we won't be here for dinner so you should eat with your mom." 

"Sounds good." I nodded, resuming my circles on Betty's arm. They left, leaving me and Betty to decide what to do.

* * *

We spent the day lounging around until Mom came home with Jelly, my dad a few minutes behind her and Betty had to leave. An elongated goodbye showed her hesitation to go home, to face her mother. 

"Ugh, I should go. If I don't leave now, I'll never leave." She sighed opening the door. I leaned against the frame.

"That's fine with me, you can move into my room." I ran my hand up her arm, chuckling at her eye roll. Her false annoyance was broken by a small grin that lit up her features. 

"Bye, Juggie." Betty sighed, kissing my cheek before skipping down the steps, glancing back. 

"Bye, Betts." I smiled as she turned away.

She exited my view, walking through the trailer park. I stayed in the doorway for another minute before turning away and shutting the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy my story, feel free to leave a comment! 😍😘💕


End file.
